Bihar Assembly Elections: JD(U) Releases First List of 57 Candidates, Fields State Chief Umesh Khushwaha From Mahanar, Anant Singh From Mokama

Patna: In a major political development ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Janata Dal (United) on Wednesday released its first list of candidates, announcing names for 57 constituencies across the state.

The party approved JD(U) state chief Umesh Khushwaha for Mahanar, Minister for Rural Development of Bihar Shravan Kumar for Nalanda, Sunil Kumar for Bhore (SC), among others, for the Bihar Assembly elections.

The announcement comes a day after the BJP released its first list of 71 candidates on Tuesday for the Assembly elections.

Don-turned-politician Anant Kumar Singh, popularly known as 'Chhote Sarkar', features in the first list released by the party. He has been fielded from the Mokama seat. Singh’s wife, Neelam Devi, who had won the Mokama seat on an RJD ticket in the 2020 polls, shifted her support to the NDA government in the state.

Mokama will go to the polls in the first phase on November 6.

The JD (U) list also features several key names from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s party, including senior leaders and new faces. Among the key candidates announced for the upcoming elections are Ratnesh Sada from Sonbarsa, Dhumal Singh from Ekma and Kaushal Kishore from Rajgir.

With the release of its first list, the JD (U) has set the tone for its campaign, as political activity gains momentum across Bihar ahead of the high-stakes polls.

While the NDA has decided on seat distribution among its constituents for the Bihar polls, the Mahagathbandhan is yet to do so. The Election Commission issued a notification on Monday for the second phase of the state's assembly polls. Bihar will go to the polls on November 6 and November 11, and votes will be counted on November 14.

The total number of electors in the final list stands at 7.42 crore.

The ruling NDA decided its ticket distribution on Sunday. The BJP and JD(U) will contest 101 seats each, while the Lok Janshakti Party (headed by Ram Vilas) will contest 29 seats. The Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) will contest six seats each.

The polling for the 243-seat Assembly is scheduled to be held on November 6 and November 11, with counting set for November 14.

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